As a material is exposed to changes in temperature, the energy stored in the intermolecular bonds between atoms making up the material may change. The change in the energy stored in intermolecular bonds of a material may result in a corresponding dimensional change in the material. For example, solid materials typically expand in response to increases in temperature and contract in response to decreases in temperature. The dimensional response of a material to changes in temperature (i.e., the rate of thermal expansion of the material) may be expressed as a thermodynamic property of the material known as the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The CTE is the fractional change in length of the material per degree of temperature change. Materials having higher CTEs typically experience a greater dimensional change in response to changes in temperature.